Circulator for pickling baths



July 23, 1935.

A. DIETzEl. r2,008,853

CIRCULATOR FOR PICKLING BATHS Filed June 27, 1934 IN ENTOR @Md/@'wATTORNEYS'.

-Patented July 23, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT oFEICE cmcomroa Fon ProximoBarns Albert man1, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application June 27, 1934, Serial No. 732,614

a claims. (ci. 10i-263) The invention relates to pickling tanks, andparticularly to a circulator for maintaining a pickling bathin propercondition for service.

A pickling bath is a body of acid in which metal articles are treated,and in practice it has been found desirable toheat and circulate theacid comprising the bath. Customarily, steam is employed to this end,and usually one or more steam pipes are caused to discharge below thesurface of the bath. It has been realized that to, achieve best resultsthe steam pipes should each terminate in an injector or circulator,whereby the effect of the steam is enhanced, and uniform circulation ofthe bath is obtained. Manifestly, the

steam pipes and injectors must be constructed of acid resistingmaterial, and, while there are several well-known materials of thisnature available, their use hitherto has been unsatisfactory, due eitherto the physical inadequacy of the material or to its high cost. No onehas provided a durable injector structure which may be made ofinexpensive acid-resisting material, such as lead, or acid-resistingferrous alloys.

It is further remarkable that, when the steam is turned into a cold acidbath, the injectors used hitherto permit or cause a violenthammeringmuch` like the well-known waterhammer so dangerous to pipelines.

The object of my invention is to provide a durable injector structurewhich may be made of inexpensive acid-resisting metal, such as lead. Itis further my aim to provide an injector of such structure, and toprovide such an organization of the injector (or injectors) in apickling tank, that the hammering alluded to is eliminated, or isreduced to a hammering of unobjectionable magnitude.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. I is a fragmentary View in verticalsection of a pickling tank equipped with injectors in accordance with myinvention; Fig. II is a view in side elevation, and Fig. III is a viewin front elevation, of a circulator or injector 'embodying theinvention;

and Fig. IV is a sectional View of the injector, j

Each injector comprises a hollow T-shaped body; the hollow cross-branch6 of the T is open at its opposite ends, and communicates with a passage1, extending through the central stem 8 of the T. The steam employed intheY operation of the injector is directed into the passage 1 of thecentral stem of the T. In service (in accordance with well-known laws offluid flow) the steam in flowing through passage 1, draws acid inward inopposite directions through the open `ends of the cross-branch 6, anddischarges it through the passage 1. The acid drawn into thecross-branch' is relatively cool, and upon its discharge from thepassage 1 is relatively hot, the steam condensing and giving up itslatent heat of vaporization in the passage 1.

It will be understood that the T-shaped body of my injector may bereadily cast of lead, and an opening may be cored out in the Wall of thecross-branch 6, for the introduction of the steam jet. Advantageously,the steam supply pipe is formed of lead; its lower end is curved, asshown, and projected through the opening in the wall of the cross-branch6; union of the pipe 5 and cross-branch 6 is effected by welding orleadburning; the terminal of the pipe 5 provides a discharge orifice 5adirected toward or into the passage 1, and a clearance 9 is providedbetween the periphery of the orifice 5a and the wall of passage 1, toadmit of the flow of acidfrom the body portion 6 and into passage 1. Thewall of the stem portion 8 is relatively heavy, whereby the device isadapted long to withstand the erosive action of the steam and acidiiowing through passage 1.

Advantageously, the whole device may be constructed of standard leadpipe, cut to length, appropriately fashioned, and united; in a typicalcase the cross-branch 6 is. formed of an eight inch length of 5 O D.-4"I. D. lead pipe; the central stem 8 is formed of a six inch length of 4O. D.21/2 I. D. lead pipe; the supply line 5 comprises a suitable lengthof 2" O. D.1" I. D. standard lead pipe; lthe wall of the pipe 6 isprovided with an orifice to receive the supply line 5, and with anopposite orifice conforming to the passage 1 of the stem 8, and thethree parts 5, t and 8 are integrated by lead-burning."

It will be observed that in service the T-shapd body 6, 8 extendshorizontally upon the iioor of -the tank. To the end that a rm seatingof the device upon the floor may be obtained, the centralstem 8 isoffset vertically from the cross-branch, so that the bottom faces of thestem and crossbranch extend in common plane (Fig. IV).

Thus, the central-stem of the T provides in the direction of its extentsupport for the injector, while the opposite arms of the cross-branch ofthe T provide lateral support for the injector at points lying outwardfrom the opposite sides of said central-stem. A vertical member IDreinforces the integration of the members 5 and 5; the member I0includes av lower edge Illa which extends in said common plane, andprovides still further foundation for the firm seating of the deviceupon the floor of the tank.

In providing a body of hollow T-shape, the inlets or acid at theopposite ends of the crossbranch B are approximately double the area ofthe outlet of passage 1; a relatively large effective area of contactwith the bottom of the tank is provided; and a relatively great mass ofmaterial is-concentrated at the outlet end of steam pipe 5. Withapparatus of this sort I obtain in largest measure the advantagesalluded tof I claim as my invention: y

l. A steam injector for pickling baths and the like, comprising a heavywalled, hollow, T-shaped body of lead adapted to rest in substantiallyhorizontal position upon the floor of a pickling tank, lthe bore of thecross-branch of the T being open at its opposite ends, and the bore ofthe centralstem of the T communicating with the bore of saidcross-branch, and a steam inlet extending angularly from the verticaladjacent the wall of said cross-branch and being directed through saidwall transversely of said cross-branch and toward the bore of saidcentral-stem, the aforesaid structure providing an acid resistinginjector capable of withstanding mechanical shock without iracture, andadapted to minimize hammering while being capable in service ofwithstanding the erosive action of steam fed thereinto by said inlet.

2. A steam injector for pickling baths and the like, comprising a heavywalled, hollow, lead body of T-shape, the bore of the cross-branch ofthe T being open at its opposite ends, and the bore of the central-stemof the T communicating with the bore of the cross-branch, and a steaminlet directed through the Wall of said cross-branch and toward the boreof said central-stem, said structure providing a lead injector capableof withstanding in service the erosive actionv of hot steam, said bodybeing adapted to extend horizontally with the central-stem of the Tproviding support in the direction of its extent, and said cross-branchproviding lateral support at regions lying outward substantial intervalsfrom the opposite sides of said central-stem.'

3. A steam injector for pickling baths and the like, comprising a heavywalled, hollow, T-shaped body of lead adapted to rest in substantiallyhorizontal position upon the floor of a pickling tank,

. the bore of the cross-branch of the T being open at its opposite ends,and the bore of the centralstem of the T communicating with the bore ofsaid cross-branch, and a steam inlet extending angularly from thevertical adjacent the wall of said cross-branch and being directedthrough said wall transversely of said cross-branch and toward the boreof said central-stem, the aforesaid structure providing an acidresisting injector capable of withstanding mechanical shock withoutfracture, and adapted to minimize hammering, while being capable inservice of withstanding the erosive action of steam fed thereinto bysaid inlet, the central-stem oi' the T being of less cross-section thanthe cross-branch and being offset from the axis of said crossbranch,substantially as described.

ALBERT DIETZEL.

